Published: Monday, August 25, 2014 at 2:15 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, August 25, 2014 at 2:16 p.m.

Debra Rubino discovered Tuscaloosa four years ago when her son came to the University of Alabama. She said she fell in love with the city, but she also discovered that something was missing — a style of cooking with a heavy emphasis on fresh seasonings and fresh produce. It was the type of cooking she knew from living in New York.

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Last month, Rubino and her business partner, George Harsch, decided to fill that culinary niche when they opened Sweet Home Food Bar at 2218 University Blvd. The restaurant is in a downtown building that formerly housed a Fred's store.

“We like to say this is where New York meets Tuscaloosa,” she said of the restaurant. “We use farm-fresh ingredients with mostly locally sourced produce.”

She described the items on the menu as international comfort food.

Harsch had three delis and a catering business in New York. Rubino, who describes herself as a good cook and baker, had no previous restaurant experience. Both are former teachers. Sweet Home is a second career, said Rubino, who helps manage the restaurant and does the baking.

The restaurant has two head chefs and 12 to 14 employees working in the kitchen. It has about 35 employees, many of them students who work part-time.

Customers can find traditional Italian dishes from panini to an array of pastas, but Rubino, who likes traditional Italian cooking, said Sweet Home is not an Italian restaurant.

The menu, which includes daily specials, has authentic Greek, Mediterranean, Southwestern and American dishes, as well as burgers and sandwiches. It also has nine different freshly made salads daily. Baked treats include brownies, muffins, croissants, Danishes and cupcakes.

Since opening, the restaurant has found a popular following, mostly through word of mouth, Rubino said.

One of its top selling items is Clucken Russian — a chicken cutlet topped with melted Muenster cheese, bacon and Russian dressing, she said. Other examples of lunch items are curried chicken with seasoned couscous, sausage and peppers over rigatoni with marinara sauce and Cajun Key lime Gulf shrimp with dirty rice.

Sweet Home's breakfast is served all day and includes such items as yogurt parfait, maple bacon-stuffed muffins, French toast, a fried egg, bacon and cheese sandwich with a hot sauce, and frittatas, an Italian-style omelet.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m, Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Sunday brunch is 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Starting on Sept. 4, Sweet Home plans to serve dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.

“We are strongly suggesting people make reservations for dinner,” Rubino said, noting that will help with kitchen staffing and proper preparation of orders.

Also next month, the restaurant plans to offer a tapas menu — a variety of dishes in smaller portions — in the afternoon for customers who want to stop for a glass of wine or beer after work, she said.

Its breakfast menu has items priced from $5 to $11, and its lunch items range from $6 to $12. The dinner menu will range from $16 to $26, Rubino said. The restaurant serves beer and wine.

<p>Debra Rubino discovered Tuscaloosa four years ago when her son came to the University of Alabama. She said she fell in love with the city, but she also discovered that something was missing — a style of cooking with a heavy emphasis on fresh seasonings and fresh produce. It was the type of cooking she knew from living in New York.</p><p>Last month, Rubino and her business partner, George Harsch, decided to fill that culinary niche when they opened Sweet Home Food Bar at 2218 University Blvd. The restaurant is in a downtown building that formerly housed a Fred's store.</p><p>“We like to say this is where New York meets Tuscaloosa,” she said of the restaurant. “We use farm-fresh ingredients with mostly locally sourced produce.” </p><p>She described the items on the menu as international comfort food.</p><p>Harsch had three delis and a catering business in New York. Rubino, who describes herself as a good cook and baker, had no previous restaurant experience. Both are former teachers. Sweet Home is a second career, said Rubino, who helps manage the restaurant and does the baking.</p><p>The restaurant has two head chefs and 12 to 14 employees working in the kitchen. It has about 35 employees, many of them students who work part-time.</p><p>Customers can find traditional Italian dishes from panini to an array of pastas, but Rubino, who likes traditional Italian cooking, said Sweet Home is not an Italian restaurant. </p><p>The menu, which includes daily specials, has authentic Greek, Mediterranean, Southwestern and American dishes, as well as burgers and sandwiches. It also has nine different freshly made salads daily. Baked treats include brownies, muffins, croissants, Danishes and cupcakes.</p><p>Since opening, the restaurant has found a popular following, mostly through word of mouth, Rubino said.</p><p>One of its top selling items is Clucken Russian — a chicken cutlet topped with melted Muenster cheese, bacon and Russian dressing, she said. Other examples of lunch items are curried chicken with seasoned couscous, sausage and peppers over rigatoni with marinara sauce and Cajun Key lime Gulf shrimp with dirty rice.</p><p>Sweet Home's breakfast is served all day and includes such items as yogurt parfait, maple bacon-stuffed muffins, French toast, a fried egg, bacon and cheese sandwich with a hot sauce, and frittatas, an Italian-style omelet.</p><p>Items on a recent Sunday brunch menu included apple pecan pancakes, a roasted vegetable frittata and crabcakes.</p><p>The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m, Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Sunday brunch is 11 a.m.-3 p.m.</p><p>Starting on Sept. 4, Sweet Home plans to serve dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.</p><p>“We are strongly suggesting people make reservations for dinner,” Rubino said, noting that will help with kitchen staffing and proper preparation of orders.</p><p>Also next month, the restaurant plans to offer a tapas menu — a variety of dishes in smaller portions — in the afternoon for customers who want to stop for a glass of wine or beer after work, she said.</p><p>Its breakfast menu has items priced from $5 to $11, and its lunch items range from $6 to $12. The dinner menu will range from $16 to $26, Rubino said. The restaurant serves beer and wine.</p>